Blotter-bath



(No Model.)

H. P. ARNOLD.

BLOTTER BATH.

No. 397,531 Patented'Peb. 12. 1889.

WITNESSES} INVEJV'TOR UNTTED STATES PATENT firmer,

HENRY F. ARNOLD, OF MANUI I ESTER, IOlVA.

BLOTTER-BATH.

gPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 397,531, dated February 1.2, 1889.

Application filed February 8, 1888. Serial No. 263,329. (No mocleL) T 0 at! whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. ARNOLD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manchester, in the county of Delaware and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blotte1.'-Baths; and I do declare the :t'ollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such. as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accon'ipanyin g drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specilimition, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved blotter-bath open. Fig. 2 is a vertical. transverse sectional view of the same closed, and Fig. 1-3 is a detail view.

My invention relates to blotter-baths for keeping pads of absorbent material which are used 'for takin letter-press copies of letters, papers, &e., at an even degree of moisture; and it consists .in the improved construction and combination of the same, as will be hereinafter more particnlarly descri bed, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the amieoinpanying drawings, in which the same letters of reference indicate correspomling parts in each of the figures, A indicates the pan or vessel of a blotter-bath, which is provided with a closely-fittinglid or cover, B. \Vithin the pan is placed a false bottom, 0, which is supported at a short distance above the bottom by means of suitable legs, I) D, or it may rest upon beads or flanges upon the sides of the pan, which are only shown in dotted lines. The false bottom is provided with slots or apertures E E, which are covered or opened by a similarly-slotted slide, F, which is secured upon the false bottom by means of rivets in its central solid portion, or by means of flanges along the edges of the false bottom. The slide is moved back and forth by means of a suitable knob or button, G, at one end. Above the false bottom is a rack or grate, II, which is provided with suitable legs, 1 I, or it may be retained by means of beads upon the sides of the can similar to those for retaining the false bottom. This rack is composed of any suitable metal, and is provided with crossbars J J, or it may be composed of a sheet of wirenetting water is placed in the bottom of the pan, and.

the pads, which have preferably been properl y moistened, are placed upon the rack, the slide upon the false bottom being first set so as to properly regulate the amount of evaporation from the water below it that is to pass up through the false bottom. The lid is now closed down and the pads are left alone until they are wanted for use, when they will be found moisten ed. In practice, however, I have found that the upper pads of the pile do not keep as moist as those at the bottom: of the pile, owing to the fact that they are not so near the water. To overcome this objection I have constructed my improved baths with a linin of cloth or other suitable absorbent material, K, which is secured upon a frame, L, of wire or other light material, and placed in the lid or cover of the bath, with one edge of the cloth exteiiuling down. one side of the bath into the water in the lmttom of the pan. By reason of the capillary attraction in the cloth the water is carried up at the side and across the pile of pads, which thus exposes all of the pads within the bath to the same degree of evaporation, and consequently they are all of the same degree of moisture when they are to be used. Of course it the false bottom and rack are seen red by means of beads or flanges upon the sides of the pan, suliicieut room must as the impressioi'ls can be taken by taking the pads out of the bath. and placing them in the book without the trouble and bother of running them between rollers or of trying to get them moistened with a brush or sponge. As the cloth is held in the lid by the elasticity of the material of which the frame is composed, it can be removed and renewed with but lit tle trouble and expense.

IOO

Instead of securing the cloth upon the frame, it can be placed upon hooks or pins in the cover, as shown in dotted lines. If desired, the front edge of it can be left long enough to hang down in front of the pile of pads, thus exposing them more thoroughly to the moisture. As the rack is placed above the false bottom, a free circulation. is maintained upon the bottom of the pile as well as upon all sides of it, the cross-bars of the rack being made as small as possible to support the weight without being so large as to cover much of the surface of the lower pad, and thus prevent the moisture having access to it at that point.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim- 1. The combination, with a blotter-bath, of a lining or inside covering of an absorbent E. F. CRUISE, GEo. HATCH. 

